The Tiger Woods Police Report – Updated

The Golf Channel has obtained an unredacted copy of the Tiger Woods police report. This version of the report is much longer than the previous one, which I wrote about at this link. The newer version notes that Woods said he’d been taking Xanax. You can read the latest news about the Tiger Woods arrest – along with the entire report – atthis link.

The report is thorough and would make a useful teaching tool for recruits who are learning about DUI stops and arrests. The report covers various sobriety tests in detail, and the descriptions of Woods’ behavior are clear and specific. Instead of saying that Woods failed the sobriety tests, the report shows exactly what happened. Here’s one example:

Woods then began to lose his balance and placed his right foot behind in an effort to maintain his balance.

[I was impressed that the report spelled lose correctly! “Loose” is a common misspelling.]

I do have some suggestions. The report is much longer than it needs to be. Here are some sentences that could have been written more efficiently:

Upon arrival I made contact with officers on scene who stated that a black Mercedes…. WORDY

I talked to officers at the scene. They said a black Mercedes…. BETTER

While speaking with Woods I observed his slow mumbled and slurred speech. I asked Woods where he was coming from to which he stated “LA” and then I asked where he was coming from tonight to which he stated LA again and that he was on his way down to Orange County. WORDY

Woods spoke slowly. He mumbled and slurred his words. He told me he was coming from LA and was on his way down to Orange County. BETTER

The disposition (end) of the report contains many passive voice sentences. Ironically, the officer is careful to note the attention to Woods’ safety – for example, he was secured with a seatbelt. But the report never mentions who did the handcuffing, who put Woods into the car, and who read his Miranda rights. For example:

Woods was placed into handcuffs…. [Who put him there?]

Woods was later placed into the backseat of my patrol vehicle and was secured with the seatbelt. [Who put him there and buckled the seatbelt?]

Overall this is an effective report with a number of features that would make it an excellent teaching tool.

I often hear from academy instructors and agency officials who worry about the poorly written reports that come across their desks. What is to be done with a cadet or officer who writes a sentence like this one? Four CDs were recovered from the defendant, which he had conceal those items by stuffing them inside […]